City's Anti-Goose Tactic: Drones

The city of Ottawa seems to have found a novel way to drastically cut down on the number of geese hanging out on beaches and fouling the water: Send in the drones. Or drone, to be more precise, reports the Ottawa Citizen. The city has hired a contractor to buzz and harass the geese at Petrie Island with a remote-controlled "hexcopter." The birds hate it so much that the number of geese at local beaches has dropped from about 140 to 20, says a local lawmaker.

“When he takes it out, they put their backs up straight and they’re watching,” the lawmaker explains. “When he starts it and it goes up off the ground, they sort of walk into a formation, and as soon as it starts moving, they all take off.” Also of note: Seagulls aren't bothered as much by the drones, so two city workers use remote-controlled trucks to zip around and keep them from landing. (More strange stuff stories.)